Celebrities endorsing products is not a new phenomenon. Many a time, we take a look at certain products just because some celebrity said it was nice. But, does it mean that they are answerable when the particular product lands in some trouble? Whatever the answer may be, it is true that people point fingers at celebrities when something goes wrong with the product.
Madhuri Dixit and Amitabh Bachchan have faced it when Maggi was banned nationwide. And now, when the Food Safety Commission has come up with an allegation against Nirapara, one of the popular food brands in the state, everybody has started darting questions at actresses Kavya Madhavan and Khushboo, who have been endorsing it for some time. Is it the right thing to do? We take a look.
Some celebrities will have a clear stand on this. In the International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter meet held in Kochi, inspiring brand icon Sachin Tendulkar said that he tried not to promote alcohol and tobacco. It may not be possible for all celebrities to be very choosy like him, but they at least try to make certain that the product, which they stand for, does good to the people.
Ad filmmaker-turned-actor Sijoy Varghese says, “From my experience, what I have understood is that no celebrity would jump into a product without studying it. They will check the product’s market value, ask other people who had endorsed the particular item before and some even will ask for a time to get some exposure to the product.”
In his opinion, ad filmmakers approach a celebrity to promote a product if that person’s image matches with that of the product. “There are five stages in a campaign — attention, interest, desire, action and satisfaction. A well-organised campaign will never use the image of a celebrity for more than a particular level. They will use it for the first part, to call the attention of the public and as a recalling element. A celeb’s minimum responsibility while endorsing a product is to make sure that it is helpful to the mass,” he adds.
Agreeing with him is celebrity designer Poornima Indrajith who appears for a hair care oil and boutique advertisement. “There are actually two types of celebrity endorsements. In the first one, a hero, who has got mass appeal, comes and says that he or she uses some products. But, everyone knows that they may not be using all products they support. In this case, they are just helping the product to sell. In the second type, there will be a relating factor between the celebrity and the product. People consider me as one among them. And hence I never promote a product which I cannot relate to,” she says, adding that credibility of the product matters to her.
“Of course, the end result of products such as hair care oil varies for each person, depending on his biological history. But, when someone approaches me to back a product, I make sure that it is not harmful to people. I don’t want to be questioned tomorrow and disappoint the trust of people. Also the celebrity has a certain amount of trust on the brands that it will never let them down!”
According to Shwetha Menon, who had endorsed various products, choosing products for endorsement is a matter of time and maturity. “In the earlier stage of my career, I may have modelled a few brands which I don’t use. That was my choice that time. But, now my strategy has changed and I try to know about the product before promoting it,” she says.
According to all, blaming the celebrity if the product goes wrong is not a good trend. “It is like beating around the bush. When we focus on celebs, we are actually sidelining the real issue. We must focus on the core issue and try to resolve that,”adds Shwetha.
And Sijoy says, “It is true that as many issues have emerged, it is difficult to find a celebrity to endorse food products, especially in northern India, right now. But, that will change with time. And if Maggi clears its issues and makes a comeback, you will see top celebrities endorsing it.”
